


A Second Chance

by stars245



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Do-Over, F/M, Fix-It, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 20:12:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13578102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stars245/pseuds/stars245
Summary: Sansa Stark is thrown into the past by the Old Gods, and realises that she has the unique opportunity to keep her pack together. All she has to do is collect them first...





	1. Rebirth

Sansa slowly shifted in bed, unconsciously turning her face away from the rising sun and she snuggled into her blankets. _It’s much too early to be awake… she thought groggily, cracking one eye open to look around._

And sat bolt upright in bed. 

_Where am I?!_ She leapt out of bed, her hand automatically reaching for the obsidian dagger she kept under her pillow, her panic only mounting as she found nothing to be there. Her breathing escalated, as she began to recognise her surroundings. 

_It can’t be… and yet it is? Can I truly be in Winterfell? But it was lost so long ago to the Others…_

Sansa strode to the window, flinging open the glass and leaning her head out to better see what her mind couldn’t comprehend. Right in front of her was the bustling courtyard of her childhood. She could hear the blacksmith’s hammer ringing and the sound of Ser Rodrick’s voice giving commands to the stablehands. 

Just as she turned back into the room, the door burst open and Catelyn Stark walked in, resplendent in a dress of Tully colours. “Mother!” she exclaimed, rushing to her side and hugging her fiercely. She inhaled the familiar scent of her mother, closing her eyes as memories of Joffrey taunting her after the deaths of her mother and brother were called to the forefront of her mind.

“Sansa? Are you all right, sweetling?” Catelyn asked worriedly, pulling back from the embrace to better look at her daughter. She nodded hurriedly, blinking back her tears. “Yes, I’m sorry Mother, I only had an awful dream.’ she said, pulling away as well and smoothing down her nightclothes. 

“Well, if you’re quite all right I only came to wake you as you hadn’t come to break your fast with us. I’ll call the maids in and leave you to dress, be quick about it.” said Catelyn, squeezing her shoulder and turning to leave.

“Mother? I won’t need the maids this morning, I can dress myself today.”

“Are you sure everything’s fine Sansa?”

“Yes, Mother I’m fine.” Sansa replied with a wry smile. “I’ll be down soon.”

As Catelyn left, she pushed her confusion and overwhelming emotions to one side as she dressed rapidly and went down to the Great Hall to join her family. _I haven’t been able to think that in so long…_

Just as she was about to enter the Hall, she paused by the doorway to observe them. It had been 10 long years since she had seen any of her family save Jon, Arya and Bran. Little had she known when she left Winterfell at the age of thirteen that she would never see Mother, Robb or Rickon again; that she would never truly see the Bran that sat at her mother’s side again. So much had been taken from her. _Not this time. I know what is coming, I can protect them._

Breakfast passed quickly as she kept her head down and remained quiet so as to avoid attention from her siblings. Everything considered, Sansa wasn’t sure that she would be able to control her emotion if confronted with too many people at once. 

As soon as she was able, she excused herself to the godswood, stating that she wanted to learn to pray to the old gods that her father kept rather than retreating to the Sept he had built for her mother.

Sansa approached the hearttree and the pool of water beside it with some trepidation. The godswood in King’s Landing had offered her comfort and a connection to the family she had left in the North, but this was different. She had always known that the old gods were stronger in the North but this was the first time that she had truly understood what that meant. There was a palpable energy in the air as she seated herself on the rock her father often came to clean Ice, the Stark greatsword. 

_The most important thing that I can do is to keep the Starks as far away from the South as possible. There must always be a Stark in Winterfell, but this time there will be many. I mustn’t allow Littlefinger to manipulate us the way he did before; we must make our own connections before he takes advantage of Father’s reluctance for us to be matched._

__

__

_Although, perhaps there is some merit to the notion of telling Mother and Father my truth. Of what has really happened. I certainly carry less weight and influence than either of them and since I know what’s coming I can prove to them the verity of my tale._

Sansa looked up at the heart tree and pressed her hand to the ancient oak.

 **Soon my child. Do not squander this second chance we have given you. Do not neglect the song of ice and fire.**


	2. Next Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who to tell?

Her prayers at the base of the heart tree went uninterrupted, and granted her some time to think over her next move. Sansa’s greatest dilemma was whether or not to tell her parents of what had happened in the other world; it was easily proved as she knew what would happen to Jon Arryn and what Lysa’s letter would contain…

But how to save the life of the Lord Hand? Perhaps an anonymous letter would suffice: it would alert him to immediate danger and with any luck it would prolong his life so that the truth about the Lannister bastards would come out. 

Opening her eyes, she glanced up at the sky and then back at the walls of the keep. Sansa knew that it wouldn’t be long before she had to interact with one of her siblings, so she gathered her skirts and quickly left the godswood before one of them could find her before she was ready. She was simultaneously eager and reluctant to see them again; she resented Robb’s decision to leave her in King’s Landing and forcing her to remain alone and afraid in Joffrey’s power for so long.

Walking through the halls towards her father’s solar was like walking through a dream. So many nights she had walked these halls in her sleep during her imprisonment in the Red Keep, not believing that she’d ever return. 

Sansa was so lost in her reminiscing that she arrived at the door of the solar sooner than she had expected. Raising a shaking hand, she knocked on the thick oak and entered. The silhouette of Lord Eddard Stark took her breath away and she quashed the urge to run into his arms. _It has been so long, father…._ Fifteen years had passed since Ned had been executed on the steps of Baelor and not a day had gone by that she didn’t think of him.

‘Sansa, my dear. What brings you to my solar?’ he asked kindly, setting aside his quill and turning towards her.

‘Father, I have something to tell you, and I fear it will not be easy for you to believe, but you must try.’ She responded, walking to take the chair that sat opposite his own. 

‘For me, fifteen years have passed since I sat with you in this solar. Since I left Winterfell for King’s Landing, many unspeakable horrors have come to pass; I have watched most of my family die, I have been imprisoned and kidnapped and assaulted and sold and seen legends come to life. There is so much that I do not have time to explain to you, yet so much that you must know.’ she sat back, panting slightly from the effort of confession. Sansa watched the expression on her father’s face move from levity to concern to disbelief to confusion and now he sat in deep contemplation as he gazed, unseeing, at her face.

Finally, he stood abruptly and moved to secure the door more firmly, and paused facing the door. ‘You can prove this, child?’

‘I can, Father.’

Ned turned to face her and she was surprised to see that his eyes glittered with unshed tears. ‘Come here, darling.’ 

Opening his arms and kneeling, he caught her as she threw her arms around his neck and sobbed. All of the pain and tension and fear she had felt since his execution was finally given release as her tears flowed from her eyes, finally feeling safe in the warmth and security in his embrace.

She knew not how long they remained in their embrace, but when Sansa broke away all of her tears had been shed and she felt a contentment that was somewhat alien to her. Ned smiled at her and brushed her hair away from her face.

‘Now, if you can, I think it’s time that you tell me more of what you have seen, and I had best call for your Lady Mother.’


	3. Revelations

‘Sansa, I’m sure you can understand that this is hard for us to believe. It’s a wild tale, child, even you must admit that!’ exclaimed Catelyn, after arriving and being told what Sansa had said to Ned.

‘I know that, Mother.’ she replied, reaching out to grasp her hand. ‘But I have proof. In the next few days, a deserter from the Watch will be brought to Winterfell; he will tell you that of the Others he encountered Beyond the Wall. Father, Jon will find a litter of direwolf pups with their dead mother. There will be six: one for each Stark child.’

Catelyn and Ned exchanged glances. Ned had received a raven from Maester Aemon at the Wall just that morning stating that one of their men had deserted and to expect him in a matter of days.

‘Furthermore, Father, Lord Arryn is in grave danger. He has uncovered a dangerous secret and if he has not been poisoned already, he will be soon. If he dies, King Robert will ride North to ask you to become Hand of the King.’

Catelyn paled several shades and Ned stood up and began to pace. ‘We must warn him at once! I cannot allow him to die in this way, he has been like a father to me all these years.’

‘Ned, I know how much you love Jon, but if we alter his fate Sansa’s knowledge of the future may become useless to us. Something so drastic as the death of the Hand could change so much that we will have no way of knowing what is to come.’ Catelyn pointed out, and Ned ran a hand down his face in frustration.

‘I know…’ he sighed, ‘but we must question why Sansa has been brought back to this time. Surely the presence of her memories indicates that some things must be changed; perhaps Jon’s fate is one of them.’

‘This is a difficult decision for you, I realise that Father. But the longer you deliberate, the less opportunity we have to save him if that’s what you decide to do.’ Sansa explained, watching her father’s emotions play across his face. 

The love that he had for his foster father and the fear for his life was clearly at war with the fact that allowing him to die may save the lives of countless more. Sansa was frustrated with the lack of certainty she could give them.

‘Father, if it would help you, I know the secret that Lord Arryn has uncovered.’

Ned immediately lifted his eyes to her. ‘Yes, Sansa that would help.’

‘Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen are not Robert’s children.’

Catelyn gasped, covering her mouth with her hand and she looked to Ned, who sat heavily in his chair.

‘By the Gods…’

‘If they are not Robert’s whose are they? A Kingsguard?’ asked Catelyn.

‘Their father is Ser Jaime Lannister. Cersei and Jaime have been in a relationship since they were young. Has no one ever noticed that all of Robert’s bastard are black of hair, and yet Cersei’s children are all golden haired?’ 

‘So this is what Jon saw… Sansa I’ve decided,’ said Ned, picking up a quill and parchment. ‘I cannot allow him to die but we must expose Cersei for what she is.’

Sansa nodded, and rose from her chair. ‘Very well Father. I advise that you also write to Lord Stannis, who is also aware of the…situation, and would be willing to oppose Cersei with you and Lord Arryn. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I need to go and pray in the godswood for some enlightenment.’

Catelyn nodded, somewhat distracted as she read over Ned’s shoulder the message that he was writing. ‘Thank you, Sansa. I will call you back if you are needed here, sweetling.’

Sansa left her parents in the solar and began to make her way back to the godswood. Her mind was racing and her heart pounding. _Gods, please let this be the right decision. I have too much to lose._

Glancing to her right, she watched as Jon, Robb and Theon sparred in the courtyard. She could see the makings of the great warriors she had heard of when she was in King’s Landing; despite the war, even Tywin Lannister had admitted that Robb was a great warlord. As she watched Jon with her brother, his face hardened in concentration as he parried blows and sidestepped thrusts, she began to ruminate on the way she had treated him in the past.

The difference in disposition between Arya and herself had always made her feel as though her father didn’t like her as much; many had said that Arya was a carbon copy of Lyanna Stark, both in looks and mannerisms. The boys were, of course, wild and rambunctious and Arya fit in with them in a way that she didn’t. Sansa had known that she would never earn her father’s approval in the same way that Arya could, so she dedicated herself to obeying her mother and being a perfect lady, desperate for her father to look at her in the same way.  
But that never came.  
Her emulation of her mother didn’t succeed in earning her father’s approval, so in adopting Catelyn’s attitude towards Jon she hoped that her mother, at least, would like her.

She had been so wrong! So desperate for approval that she had overlooked how attention-starved and insecure Jon was, and scorned him in the same way her mother did. 

The first thing she needed to do was apologise to him.


End file.
